Craft beer rises in popularity and sales

Craft beer – the popularly known terminology given to the products that small- to medium-sized beer brewers create – has found itself in the cultural spotlight in recent years. In fact, according to the Craft Brewers Association, sales were up 13 percent in 2011 at 11.5 million barrels in the United States – which accounts for almost 5.7 percent of the beer industry.

Not only are more consumers purchasing craft beer brands over major labels than before, but festivals celebrating this artisanal form of brewing have started to sprout up throughout the country. DrinkEatPlay – an event company based out of Los Angeles – is producing the Los Angeles Beer Festival set to take place on April 7, 2012 on the lot of a major film studio.

The festival will be showcasing widely known craft brewing outfits such as Samuel Adams of Boston  – the top-selling brand of craft beer in grocery, liquor and convenience stores – and Newcastle Brown Ale of England – which often exports almost half its sales to American consumers. – the festival will also feature other notable small breweries from around the country.

In addition, Philadelphia sold out its March 3 craft beer festival. Newport, Rhode Island will hold the Newport Craft Beer Festival on April 28, inviting around 30 New England-based breweries, and the North Fork Craft Beer Festival of Long Island will feature 50 brewers with 100 different total brews in August.

With the recent upswing in the popularity of craft beers, it can be hard for brewers’ brands to stand out from the crowd at these events. Brewers and brewery owners that specialty items for festival goers may want to invest in a high-quality color label printer to print custom labels for their bottles that will help consumers at these events remember their brand.